that's where this week's cnn hero comes in. meet michael carter. >> the state took me and my siblings away from my mom when i was 14. now, we live with our grandparents. i don't want to be faced with the limits that my mom faced and that's why i want to go to college. my grandparents only went to grade school. there is nobody at home that could help me figure out how i could reach my dream. >> applying to college can be very bewildering. there is over 400,000 low-income students every year who graduate qualified to go to a four-year college and they just don't go. my name is michael carter and i help qualified, underserved students apply to, pay for and stay in college. we bring college mentors to high schools to help students through the entire process. >> how many more apps do you have to do? >> none. i did them all. >> that's pretty good. >> it's completely free. students pick their mentor and they meet weekly until they're accept under to college. >> i have never really thought myself as the greatest student. like, college